Business School Service Leader Soi Lee Grows from Tutoring Refugee Children

The Chaifetz School Service Leadership Program provides a variety of opportunities for students to volunteer throughout the St.
Louis area and effectively grow into becoming leaders. Soi Lee, a member of the Service
Leadership Program, volunteers weekly at Firm Foundations South, a faith-based one-on-one
tutoring center for immigrant and refugee children.

Servant Leader Soi Lee tutors a student at Firm Foundation South.

"Service is a part of my life," Lee said. "I love working with children, and Firm
Foundations South values intentional relationships between tutors and students which
allows me to grow as a caring and compassionate person."

Once a week, Lee tutors a 5-year-old boy from Nepal in reading and writing. Lee helps
him with homework, improves reading skills and plans activities with him.

“Throughout my service experience, I have had some struggles in keeping his attention
on homework and readings,” Lee said. “At first, I was impatient."

Kristen Flores, the Tutoring Coordinator at Firm Foundations South, gave Lee a piece
of advice that changed her outlook on tutoring.

"These kids are absorbing every word and action of adults. We tend to expect these
kids to conform to our expectations, but it is an unrealistic belief," Flores said.
"Instead of trying to change an external factor, focus internally to think of a compassionate
response to these impatient thoughts."

Absorbing Flores's advice, Lee sought different ways to approach tutoring and she
even saw progress in her student's determination to excel academically.

"Her words really stood out to me in changing my perspective in which I started to
encourage and compliment him, learning that our words are powerful and can influence
others,” Lee said. “I could feel him getting more comfortable with me in opening up
about his home and school life. Last tutoring session, he said, ‘Ms. Soi, you are
so sweet and nice, and you always make me laugh.’ He trusted me and thought of me
as a friend and mentor- not just his tutor.”

Noticing similarities between the student's childhood and her own, Lee empathized
with him to take an alternative approach to her typical mentoring style.

"English also wasn't my first language, allowing me to see his perspective in which
I understand how hard it is, especially when English isn't spoken at home," Lee said.
"I didn't realize it before, but I've learned to embrace it and became more patient."

Lee said her involvement in service leadership exposed her to people with diverse
backgrounds, further deepening her understanding of what it takes to become a leader.

"It's not just just helping them but growing while serving them," Lee said. "I have
gained new qualities such as patience, empathy and self-awareness by working with
volunteers, Mrs. Kristen and my mentee.”

By tutoring refugee children at Firm Foundations South, Lee continues to maintain
an accepting and open-mind when serving individual communities.

“Service is not fixing other people’s problems, but opening our hearts to embrace
and learn from other people’s unique perspectives regardless of their age, religion,
sexual orientation, nationality and race," Lee said.

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The Chaifetz School of Business Service Leadership Program is a co-curricular program
that provides business students the opportunity to develop their skills while becoming
men and women for others through coursework, leadership workshops and 200 hours of
community service. The Service Leadership Program hosts opportunities throughout the
year to serve the St. Louis community.